Water Purifier FAQs

Q. Why buy from PSI Water Filters?

A. We are interested in you as a customer not just on the sale of a new system but always and we will reward you for your loyalty and why not buy from us, we will always be cheaper. Should a problem occur with one of our systems you will not receive an argument from us, we will put it right. The word QUALITY is used by all in this industry and on the whole most systems are of a high quality however there are a lot of Asian systems out there and quality is not a word we would use for them all. Some of the Chinese stuff is not so bad but warrantee and parts are in short supply and most leave a lot to be desired. PSI Water Filters use American components because they are reliable and built to a standard not down to a price. There is only one manufacturer at the moment of Housings in Australia and that company is American owned, we don't use their housings because they are unattractive and the 1/4" ported ones have some problems. There are no volume manufacturers of filter cartridges in Australia but there are some that import the bodies and repackage them and say made in Australia. We often get calls from people wondering if there is a catch because we are so cheap and we often wonder if we would sell more if our prices were higher, well there is no catch and our products are the genuine articles. Jump on the net and do some searches, you should find things like the next best price on the net in Australia for say a Matrikx Pb1 is $75.00 while our price is $42.00. We buy in volume and receive good discounts which we pass on to you. Your Choice.

Q. Where is PSI Water Filters located?

A. Our location is in Launceston, Tasmania. We operate from here because we live here but also because the overhead costs are much lower and to operate here than say in Sydney, the overheads would be about 5 times higher, this enables us to offer you better discounts.

Q. How long will the cartridges last?

A. We notice that many sellers of water filters state how often their filters should be changed, it is not as simple as that. You would expect any cartridge to last a minimum of 6 months but the fact is we have customers that get 2 years from a cartridge and change it because they think it will give up soon but it is still working. The cartridges that last the longest are of good quality to start with and are usually in a high chlorine low sediment environment. Chlorine is the easiest contaminate to remove and when chlorine levels are high this works in favour of the cartridge life as high chlorine levels keep the cartridge clean from slime buildup. Slime develops in low chlorine water systems and reduces the efficiency of the carbon eventually blocking it, also sediment can block the cartridge as well. If your council decide to flush the mains at the same time you draw a heap of water through your filter then this may end the filters life pre-maturely. Life can be influenced by other factors as well, a house with many residents will not last as long as a house with just a couple of people but generally filters will last between 6 to 12 months depending on the installation. You will also see statements from our competitors stating some real rubbish about Giardia and cryptosporidium cysts getting through as a cartridge gets older, test results and common sense will tell you as a cartridge starts to progressively block the matrix gets tighter and is less likely to allow the cysts through. We are here when you are ready to change your filter cartridge, we won't hassle you or try to spook you into changing your cartridge before it needs to be changed just to promote sales.

Q. My system takes a non standard size cartridge, what do I do?

A. There are manufactures that rip people off, they do this by supplying a system at a reasonable price but manufacturing it with shorter housings and cartridges knowing that when the cartridges need changing they know you have little choice but to buy a replacement off them at higher prices. All our systems are the standard size 9-3/4 inches or 248mm and you can purchase replacements from us or just about anywhere you like even Woolworth's or Kmart or Bunning's. We encounter on average about 2 customers a day with this problem. This problem annoys us as much as it annoys you so we usually sell standard size housings at our cost price to convert the unit to standard size. For a twin undersink system we supply a new core unit (two housings and a twin bracket and fittings) for $65.00 plus postage & cartridges. To install the new unit it is simple, with a pair of scissors cut the tubes close to the old unit and simply push them into the John Guest fittings of the new unit, turn the water back on and you are away. You now have freedom of choice from who you wish to purchase from with a far greater variety of cartridges to choose from.

Q. Why treat your water for LEAD?

A. Young children, infants, and the unborn appear to be particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning. A dose of lead that would have little affect on an adult can have a big effect on a child’s small body, also growing children will more rapidly absorb any lead they consume. A child’s mental and physical development can be irreversibly stunted by over-exposure to lead. In infants, whose diet consist of liquids made with water such as baby formula, lead in drinking water makes up an even greater proportion of total lead exposure (40-60%).

Q. How could LEAD get into my drinking water

A. Typically, lead gets into your water after the water leaves your local treatment plant. That is, the source of lead in your water is most likely to be your own plumbing. The most common cause is corrosion, a reaction between the water and the pipes or solder. Soft water is a common cause of corrosion.

Q. I have a rainwater tank, do I need a Filter?

A. If you have a rainwater tank and a wood heater you have much to worry about. Wood heaters drop creosote onto the roof, which finds it’s way into the gutters, contaminating the water and slowly poisoning yourself and your children. Water affected heavily by creosote will kill aquarium fish in as little as 5 hours. One problem often overlooked is the fact that about 80% of birds are affected with Giardia cysts and when they land on your roof and leave a deposit, you may also get Giardia via your water tank. Coconut carbon cartridges are particularly good at removing creosote from rainwater tanks and also remove Giardia cysts as well. Rainwater tanks can be an excellent source of quality water but very few are set-up or maintained correctly. Wood heaters in the roofline are the greatest concern, the old open fire chimney is not such a problem as the creosote/soot falls back into the fireplace where as the flue type drop the creosote onto the roof. A poorly maintained rainwater tank can be a health risk unless the gutters are washed at least twice a year and the tank emptied and cleaned of sediment and organic deposits annually. A rainwater first flush system (not sold by us) is a must as the first rain brings down with it the pollution and any residue that has been deposited on to your roof is washed into the tank. First flush diverters allow enough water to wash down the roof before diverting the fresher water into the tank.

Q. What are Trihalomethanes (THMs)?

A. When chlorine is introduced into water supplies it binds with organic compounds and becomes one of the 130 known trihalomethanes of which only 9 are regularly tested for and are known carcinogenic, of which chloroform is the best known.

Q. What about water jugs?

A. Water jugs perform in the same way as a full size water filter but lack the performance and are not as cost effective. They also lack the flexibility to target particular problems areas. You should be filtering all water used in the kitchen such as cooking, a water jug is impractical for this purpose.

Just a quick note to say thanks for the great and promt service and for supplying such high-quality products. I'm very impressed how easy it was to plug all components together, and am especially pleased with the good flow rate through the CR1...

Richard, Perth, WA

Returning customer. Have to rate this business and it's products at the top of it's game in all aspects of business, customer service and product quality. If you are reading this as a potential customer, don't waste your time looking for a better...

Leonard-Theodore, Brisbane

Hello Callum, Thanks for your prompt response and having exactly what we were after. Good to be able to drink water anywhere now and also top the caravan tanks when we go “away from the public domain”, Finally got it plumbed up and...

Steve Cairns, .

Peter, "Shame faced husband" ;-) & I were incredibly impressed when the new part & replacement filters arrived today. All installed it looks great & husband proof. Thanks so very much! We are thrilled. You can use this as an unsolicited...